Referring to my previous editorial note, manpower is the fundamental need for development of health delivery system (HDS).
To deliver an active, effective, and equity related health system, manpower planning is necessary.
HDM is basically related to health manpower planning (HMP), which provides the basis for the production of training for health personnel in various school programs. The graduates will then be utilized and managed, and the outcome of the entire process will be the various health services. Experience in manpower management (utilization) provides feedback on the basis of which production, planning and management can be appropriately adjusted. Planning, furthermore, may affect manpower training and management (utilization) if problems are identified.
HMP should be responsible for public health needs, and utilization of health resources in the socioeconomic planning of each country that is simply reflected as the share of health department from GDP.
Production of ordinary HMD is provided by university education, primary and secondary education, and non-university education. These two parts of development of health system (planning and production) will be completed by health manpower management (HMM) which is a neglected issue in many systems of health delivery.
The health personnel, after production, and providing resources, must not to be left without comprehensive management, monitoring and evaluation.
Minimum necessities for monitoring and evaluation of health personnel are evaluation of their knowledge, their utilization in responding to public needs, effectiveness, and cost beneficence effectiveness. The health system, professional associations, institutes for containing education (CME) and the people are essential organizations for monitoring and evaluation. The health manpower should never be left unmonitored. In that case, they may be ineffective and even harmful for health, and there will be paradox and complex outcomes of health manpower production. The best tools for monitoring and evaluation of health personnel are national guidelines which are available in many developed countries with a developed health system.
Mohammad E. Akbari
Professor of Surgical Onclogy
Chairman & Editor in Chief